MAY

2013

Initiative:
December 2012 Immersion Review
by Leafa Vagatai

Southeast Asia
Global Outreach Developments International

In Luke 9:1-6 Jesus sends out his disciples with no sta, nor bag, nor bread, nor moneynot even an extra tunic. Going out with hardly anything at all seems unwise. However, the lesson Jesus is teaching his disciples (students) at this time was that the best thing you have to oer is yourself. It is sometimes very hard to believe in a world that is constantly asking you for accolades and a sign of your accomplishments. However, what they need more than certicates are people who are capable in accomplishing the task and know how to do it well. is is what will make the dierence for our friends in Southeast Asia; a people who care, are able to be a benet, and are willing to lay down their lives for them. is past December, Breann Bennecker, Brittani Collinsworth and I had the great privilege of spending a 5 week immersion trip to the Philippines and getting to experience rst hand the importance of becoming a benet to the people and recognizing we are our best resource. And the best thing is that we didn't have to do it alone. We had each other and were challenged to work as a team to serve and meet the various needs we faced with everyday. Whether it was a child needing a proper diagnosis for his skin disease or putting together a workshop day for over 80 elementary school children, we found a way to come together as a team and organize to meet the needs.
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Within those ve weeks we traveled to 3 islands and stayed in 7 major cities in the Philippines. Despite our size, 4 total including Rina Escosura, we put on workshops (dental hygiene, exercise/dance, song, Bible stories, etc) for elementary students and their teachers. We also facilitated a church youth overnight program, multiple Bible studies, hygiene seminars, volunteered at multiple government health and social centers and local NGOs, administered wound care, and organized fellowship times with friends we met along the way. In addition to all of this, we took in as much language (Tagalog) as we possibly could in order to improve our communication with our Filipino friends. Jesus disciples come back to him in 9:10 and tell him of all the things they were able to accomplish during that time. He then takes them aside where they continue to receive more instruction. We are all thankful for your prayers and support. is immersion trip not only enabled us to see how important we are as resources, but it has given us more direction as we continue to study and focus on developing more skills to be able to meet the numerous needs we saw. ese are precious times and stories we hold dearly. However, the journey is not over and we look forward to learning more of Gods word as it is making us into people who have something to oer the world; ourselves!
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Captions: 1. e team sharing a meal with the Aeta; 2. Leafa teaching the Parable of the Sower at an elementary school; 3. e team facilitating a lesson on hygiene for the Aeta; 4. Breann teaching a lesson on the inductive Bible study method; 5. Brittani teaching hygiene at an elementary school; 6. e team taking a ride on a jeepney (public transportation); 7. e team fellowshipping with our friends, the Caja family

What is an Immersion?
by Brett Madron

The Upcoming Summer Immersion & The Value of Team Dynamic

by Nathan Cameron

As part of our training for the mission eld, participants involved with Global Outreach Developments, Intl take part in two dierent cultural immersions in the region in which they plan to serve long-term. e initial immersion experience typically takes place over the course of 5 weeks, during which time participants are immersed in various cultural elements of the region. is experience, however, is focused by the biblical and missiological education the participant has received at the Institute. e second immersion experience enables the participant to gain a stronger grasp of how they can better prepare for long-term life on the eld through being immersed in a particular eld of study such as healthcare, agriculture, education, etc. is focused experience informs the direction of education the participant will invest into prior to the longterm stay in the region.

2013 Summer Immersion team: (Clockwise from front) Cannon, Nate, Evan & Daniel Cameron; Julie, Jason, & Ezekiel Carpenter; Kristin, Austin, & Liam Bennecker; Alison & Tim Sherrod; Megan, Chris, & Abigail Cameron

The Galfords: 6 Months Immersion

Shaun, Candace and their three children, Elijah, Noah, and Chloe will be spending 6 months in the Philippines this upcoming June-November. As a family, they will be living primarily in Olongapo, Leyte and Cebu City, Cebu as they learn Filipino culture and lifestyle while continuing to build relationships with the friends our team has developed. Shaun will be participating in team projects, prison ministry, and non-formal Biblical education. Candace will be researching ways in which our team can operate one of our movements businesses, Details, in the Philippines as well planning social events for our Filipino friends and team members on the ground. Elijah will also be attending rst grade at a local elementary school next fall.

is summer GOD International will be sending a team of 10 adults and 5 children to begin a three-month stay in the Philippines. We intend to split our time between Olongapo City on the island of Luzon and Cebu City on the island of Cebu. During this time we are looking to both further previously established relationships and forge new ones with people who are hungry to know the Lord and willing to serve alongside us. is will be done through hosting frequent meals and Bible studies in the homes we will be staying in throughout our time there. It is our hope that by sharing meals and the word with people we will strengthen existing relationships on the foundation of Gods word. As a team we will also specically be focusing on researching and understanding the issues associated with previously identied communities of need in both of these places. We will explore the mindsets of people living in slums, working in bars, dwelling in prisons, and staying in the mountains. It is our hope that such research will aid us in establishing eective programs for ministry in these areas in the future. We will also be gaining experiences that have, for the most part, been foreign to us in the past. e 5 children will require our support and attention in a way that will help us better grasp the realities of holistic ministry in the Philippines. We are very excited to gain the insights from all of these experiences. One of the necessities of this trip will be our cooperation as individuals with specic focuses of ministry on collective team goals. Researching the issues listed above and cataloging relevant information will require us all to collaborate in a unied eort at data collection and relationship building. Teamwork in this fashion is an absolute necessity for a group of people desiring to give image to God in their activity. It is our hope that this trip and working together in these ways will deepen our own relationships with each other and further foster the interdependence and trust that will be required as we continue to move towards permanent residence and ministry in South East Asia. is desire is not simply one rooted in logistical eciency, it is a scriptural reality. Jesus explicitly stated that his followers would be identied by the love they had for each other. Far from lip service, this love is to be something that is demonstrated in our interactions with each other in our collective endeavor to serve the kingdom. We are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in this way and are appreciative of your thoughts, prayers, and support.

Check out our website for more details & updates from our Southeast Asia team & this summer's immersion team:

www.GODinternational.org

Follow us on Twitter @GODINTL_SEA